Prep Football: Boylan survives scare at Belvidere N.

Saturday

Oct 19, 2013 at 12:01 AMOct 19, 2013 at 12:10 AM

By Matt TrowbridgeRockford Register Star

BELVIDERE – The lights went out – but not on Boylan’s record 73-game NIC-10 football win streak.

Belvidere North wiped out a 24-point deficit to twice take the lead, the second with 3:04 to play, but Boylan escaped with a 38-34 win Friday. Graham Smolinski clinched the win with an interception with 21 seconds left, the only interception of the game for Jace Bankord (36-for-45 for 378 yards).

“We were slinging it around,” Bankord said. “We came back and almost beat the most undefeated team in NIC-10 history.”

Travis Dworzynski had a step on the Boylan defense inside the 10, but Bankord couldn’t quite throw the ball far enough from his own 46.

“We were running out of time,” Bankord said. “We had to throw up a prayer and see what happened.”

North (4-4) trailed 17-0 when the lights went out for a half hour and 24-0 before Bankord threw a 68-yard TD pass to Kevin Tevebaugh (165 yards receiving). North would score 27 straight points, the last on an 82-yard hook-and-ladder where Tevebaugh tossed a lateral to Scot Hornick late in the third quarter.

But linebacker Zack Mathews, who doubles as a fullback when Boylan gets in trouble, scored on a 5-yard run. Bankord put North ahead again with a 2-yard run with 3:04 left, but Mathews scored again on a 2-yard run with 1:15 left. Demry Croft kept that drive alive with a 4th-and-8 pass to Dain Bennett near midfield.

“I never lost confidence in our team,” Smolinski said. “We were a little slow on offense coming out of the half, but we picked it up and finished well.”

Earlier, this year, Boylan rallied from 21 points down to beat Hononegah 35-34.

“These guys just don’t give up,” Smolinski said. “That’s all you can do and hope for the best.

“It’s definitely been a lot more interesting this year. It’s more intense in practice knowing we have challenges every week. But it’s fun.”

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